Storing loaded Mags

[churchmouse]

I have heard so many different opinions on the length of time a mag should be stored loaded before allowing the spring to relax. I have a regimen as we keep several loaded at all times for all our guns.
I just want to hear what some of you think about this. I may change the way I do it.

 

[Expat]

I just keep them loaded and don't worry about it.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Storing it compressed doesn't affect it. Cycling is what affects it and most springs are good for tens of thousands of cycles.

 

[giovani]

The springs in the suspension of your car as well as many other springs are under load all the time, and they are made from the same material , carbon steel drawn to a spring temper.
I have never had a problem or noticed any ill effects from keeping them loaded.

 

[DragonGunner]

In theory springs compressed do not loose there strength.....In practice it weakens them. I won't convince some of this because of highly regarded learned theory but its the truth. I left my Mossberg tube fully loaded for a few yrs. It became so weak it wouldn't hardly push the shells out...took it out an stretched it. I have had several 30 rd mags for the AR loaded for several yrs that became the same way, this is how I learned that practice trumps theory every time.

 

[churchmouse]

I have had the same experience with a shogun which is why I started cycling Mags. This is an every other month thing so we do not get nutty with it.
Being a long time mechanic with a lot of Indy car experience I am aware of spring rates etc.
I am just curious as to how all of you deal with this. Opinions and experience, shared knowledge and getting better at what we do.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Any spring that loses its ability to spring when stored compressed was compressed too close to its yield strength for too long allowing creep. This is poor design or poor materials selection.

The concept of allowing a spring to "relax" is the part I take issue with. Once creep happens it is permanent unless a strain in the opposite direction (stretching the spring back out) is applied. The problem with that then is too many cycles of that and the spring material work hardens. So simply storing the magazine unloaded for a while to allow the spring to "rest" doesn't do a damn thing. You want a spring to last forever, store it completely uncompressed.

Me, I don't worry about it. If a magazine spring starts to affect the functioning of the gun, I replace it. They aren't made of platinum afterall. I've only ever rebuilt a very few magazines due to the springs getting softer over 25 years of shooting and hundreds of thousands of rounds fired with some magazines stored for years compressed. I've replaced far more recoil springs and among the pantheon of things to worry about in maintaining my weapons that particular issue is so low as to be below the radar.

 

[churchmouse]

This mindset for me comes from my early years building hot rod motors. Early high lift high seat pressure valve spring tech was poor. If an engine sat for a long while with one or more valve springs compressed it was usually those springs that gave you issues. It was habit born of failure to take all the lash out of the valve train in off season to let the springs set not relaxed as there is always load (as in a car suspension piece) but not in a compressed state. If this was not done then rotating the engine to share this load was needed. This is no longer an issue with current spring tech.
I ask this question as it came up in conversation with a long time Indy car racing mechanic/gun guy buddy and he felt as some of you all do. This should not be an issue with the current state of spring steel tech. My concerns are not wanting to damage any of my mags.

Thanks for the in-put.

 

[foszoe]

Fully loaded and stored forgotten with the ammo pile until needed

 

[giovani]

The heat treating company that we use for our machine shop also treats the springs for magpul's pmags
Next time I call them to pick up a batch I will run it by them, as I am sure they have had this discussion with magpul for RandD reasons

 

[Zombiekilloftheweek]

The only problems i ever noticed was when i deployed a few years back, Our basic combat load was left in the mags 24/7. Occasionally I would have to take the Mags apart and strecth the springs because sometimes the rounds would just fall out of the loaded mags with almost no effort. They were "high quality" Army issue mags though so who knows how old they were. Lol

 

[BehindBlueI's]

As long as a spring isn't pushed beyond its intended range, it won't lose strength simply from being compressed. How many paper clips have you seen lose strength staying coiled up? Twist one beyond its intended range, or work it back and forth so the heat builds up, and it breaks quickly.

Junk mags/springs = short life span, and possibly pushing beyond tolerance in normal use. Quality mags/springs = load and forget.

 

[churchmouse]

The heat treating company that we use for our machine shop also treats the springs for magpul's pmags
Next time I call them to pick up a batch I will run it by them, as I am sure they have had this discussion with magpul for RandD reasons

I have a lot of steel mags of varying ages and a butt load of new Magpul pieces. These are my first poly mags and have to say they ran very well in both the AR's we took to the dance tonight. Very pleased. We ran 20 Mags through the AR's tonight at my sisters place. In the past I would let these set for a while for no other reason than it seemed proper. We would load up some of the ones that had been "Relaxing" and cycle them trough.
This system may be changed.

As to having rounds fall out of mags, we have experienced this with a few low dollar pieces in the past. They have been discarded.

 

[the1kidd03]

Keep them loaded or keep them empty. Springs are too cheap to worry about them that much IMO

 

[CapMarine]

I have heard so many different opinions on the length of time a mag should be stored loaded before allowing the spring to relax. I have a regimen as we keep several loaded at all times for all our guns.
I just want to hear what some of you think about this. I may change the way I do it.

This is fact and not just my opinion

Keeping mags loaded has no effect on the springs longevity, its consistent loading and unloading (basicly using it) that causes springs to wear out not from just keeping it loaded

 

[JettaKnight]

Storing it compressed doesn't affect it. Cycling is what affects it and most springs are good for tens of thousands of cycles.

I'll stick with this advice until a trained metallurgist tells me otherwise.

 

[himant]

does temperature have an adverse effect on the spring life? I keep some stashed in an unheated garage in the bug out bag,didnt know if I should rotate them or not***

 

[VN Vet]

If I am not carrying the loaded magazine on my body, I keep them laying on their back, bullets up, so I can easily tell the kind of round loaded and to keep the cartridge to the back of the magazine. Over time gravity may pull the cartridge away from the back and therefore possibly causing loading problems latter.

Some of my magazines have been kept loaded for many years. When finally used, I've noticed no problems over time of non-use.

Fatigue will cause loss of strength way before a constant compressive strength will.

Think of the spring as highway bridge beams. It's the constant loading and unloading that will cause the bridge to need replacement in 25 to 50 years. As long as the bridge is designed to carry a specific load, you can load the bridge to that limit and keep it loaded for lifetimes. Or keep it unloaded for centuries. Your magazine spring can be viewed in a similiar way.

 

[foszoe]

I found some old magazines long thought lost and loaded from 20 years ago ( I could tell because of the reloaded bullets) and fired them off without any issues in my pistol.

 

[shibumiseeker]

does temperature have an adverse effect on the spring life? I keep some stashed in an unheated garage in the bug out bag,didnt know if I should rotate them or not***

Not at the temperatures you'll encounter. High temperatures (several hundred degrees) do decrease the elastic limit of steel and do increase the amount of creep near that elastic limit, but your ammo will cook off long before that becomes an issue.